Rat AND mouse infestation, what should I do!?

[effie]

I had the same problem--rats--dirt floor and even with the board walls well under the dirt floor they dug under--I put the one bite poison out in the rest of the barn --remembering where--and kept the girls penned up for a couple of days--two days later the poison was all gone and the only rat I seen was a dead one in the field beside the barn--the dog wasn't even interested in it...no more rats for now--they will be back --eventually--and hopefully my new coop 3 ft. off the ground will be done by then!!!!! I stuck it on places like under the mower deck on the mower and behind stuff against the walls that nothing else could get into.....

 

[khatar]

Quote:
Bird size ranges from 2 pound EE pullet to 9 pound buff orpington. A cat wouldn't do well in the coop because it isn't very large. Only fit for maximum six birds, plus no rats or mice in the coop, but maybe it could do well outside.....
But, you never know, they could find their way in!

 

[khatar]

I have something similar to onebite, I haven't found any dead rats yet and I hope I haven't killed any owls!

I love them you know.

 

[khatar]

OK, I checked the traps and all the snap traps snapped, but no rats or mice, and no bait!

I found rat footprints in the glue trap, but no rat, I knew it wouldn't work.

I'm really surprised at how many animals we saw and what the results turned out to be.

 

[lowry075]

Quote:
If you haven't done this, you may want to consider trimming your vine wall back. I think they are nesting in there becuase my mother has vines along her backyard wall and it has been a highway for rats. I helped her drastically cut it back to thin it out last month and saw evidence of rat nests. If the vines get to too thick with dead foliage, it's just too prefect a habitat for the vermin. The vines will grow back quickly during the summer, so it wouldn't look ugly very long.

You also might want to go online and see whether you have roof rats or Norweiagan rats. They prefer different types of baits. I didn't know this until I had problems with roof rats myself. The rats in my mom's vines are roof rats also, so don't let their name fool you.

 

[Godiva]

We have LOTS of small rats (pack rats I believe) gorging themselves on the chicken feed. I bring it in at night because of the poop but also don't really want to feed the local rat population. We have seen the rats jumping quite a height to get in (I had thought having the feeder suspended would help ) I love the idea of the cayenne pepper - going to do that today! But I also got two of those traps where the mice / small rats run in and can't get out. I caught 3 in one and 1 in the other last night. Going to keep doing that until the population is down! They are so bold, just run right in front of us! I hate to use poison - too many long term consequences and risks! Chickens will sometimes eat mice - hate to kill my chickens in the process! Some animals will avoid poisoned mice etc. , but plenty don't seem to know...

There are those havhart traps for larger critters like the big rats. Trick is figuring out what to bait it with. Do your research on which kind you have and have fun! Something so satisfying about catching the little buggers!

 

[GableBabble]

Our farmer friend got kittens and raised them in the pens with his chickens. They ate slept and poo's together and now are more happy to be with the birds then humans. Point is though, he never has a rodent problem.

 

[wiliamsmith4444]

I think the feed brings the mice and rats. Maybe you could put some of those safe traps in the coops with your birds. The ones that they run in and can't get back out, but they will not hurt the birds.


Spam removed.

 

[mikki717]

One thing I read about was to mix up some of your feed and grain with plaster of paris (dry) and some powdered sugar. Place it outside of your chicken's reach and let the rats eat it at will.

The rats are used to eating the food you normally feed your chickens, and once they ingest it, the plaster activates and they die without poison. Fatal constipation. Not a pleasant way to die, but this way you don't poison other animals as well.

 

[khatar]

Thanks for all your help!